To get your money’s worth, consider more than just the price tag, says A-dec
Shopping around and doing your research almost always pays off. Who doesn’t want to get the best value they can for their money?
If you are feeling pressure to get the most out of your equipment budget, it can be tempting to simply pick the chair package with the lowest price tag that looks like it will get the job done – especially if you need new equipment in a hurry.
That’s a good plan on the surface, but consider how much that chair package may actually cost you in the long term. Will it be robust enough to serve you well for 20 years, or could it cost you thousands of pounds more in costly repairs and downtime through the years?
The true cost of equipment
When looking for any substantial capital purchase of dental equipment, it is wise to contemplate not just the price tag, but the approximate cost of operation and maintenance too. This will give you the ‘total cost of ownership’ of the equipment, or the ‘true cost’. It may take some additional research to work this out, but not being prepared can have a significant financial impact on your practice further down the line.
Initial discussions with dental equipment dealers tend to be predominantly about features and purchase price, but you can save yourself time and money by asking your dealer about reliability, maintenance, downtime, parts availability, and lead times too – all important factors that contribute towards the total cost of ownership.
Most dealers will also have experience with multiple different brands; they see the old chairs that get taken out, new ones put in, and hear a multitude of stories from dentists about their experiences along the way. Use this knowledge to your advantage. They should be able to give you an idea of which models require the most upkeep, which breakdown the most often, and which generally outlast the others.
The important questions
If you do nothing else, make sure you ask your dealer these three questions before you commit to buy:
1. How long will this equipment last me?
2. How likely is it to breakdown?
3. If it does break down, how available and costly are parts?
This can become the difference between a sound investment and a costly one, especially after the warranty period is over.
A-dec tests all of its chairs, delivery systems, and lights to failure. By evaluating the strength of the A-dec 500 chair, for example, it was subjected to four times its guaranteed weight limit of 400lbs (181.44kg).
The chair was loaded with 1,600lbs (725.75kg) of weight spread across the upper and lower sections of the chair. Stress points were analysed, and functionality scrutinised. Every A-dec solution is rigorously tested to the extremes to ensure your equipment provides you with a smooth, trouble-free performance.
To find your nearest A-dec dealer and to book a free no-obligation consultation, email [email protected] or call 0800 233 285
